EHR Attestation Period Begins

In case you missed it, the EHR reporting period in which private practices and healthcare facilities can collect data to demonstrate meaningful use began this week. Some are suggesting that you not jump in feet first, as once you’ve started the ball rolling for the first phase (the only phase for which rules have been issued to date), it can’t be stopped in preparation for other phases.

What’s potentially ahead for the next two phases? Mary Mosquera of Government Health IT thinks that patient access to data may be on the table. It wouldn’t surprise me, either.

Last week, I wrote about Dr. Michael Miller’s reflection on how healthcare reform is driving systems to become Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Steven Lieberman’s post on the Health Affairs Blog argues that proposed regulation creates economic issues under which ACOs will instead whither and die.

AAFP News posted an article highlighting the positives of EHRs in family practice, offering a breath of fresh air for anyone in the throes of implementation.